This fall the students planted seeds in our garden beds. It seemed like for a long time that not one seed germinated. It was dry and hot. The conditions were not right. Then there were little plants long after we had given up. I recently moved to a house that has had the septic system replaced. The property is mostly dirt now, but there was a beautiful lawn when we first became interested in the property. The property is seeded, but there has been no rain. We turned on sprinklers and still nothing. A wise friend reminded me that the seeds need the right temperature in order to germinate, not just water. What do children need in order to begin taking more initiative in their own learning? I have had parents coming to me in the past week with concerns that they were not impressed with the work of the children in the first semester. I initially felt anxious about this, but through reflection, I have come to know in my heart and mind that this is part of the process of changing the direction. It takes time for these seeds to germinate. It takes trial and error for the students to begin to take ownership of their learning. In their post reflection if they come to the awareness that they didn’t meet their objectives, and that they want to do a more thorough job of presenting their learning, they learn much more than a C- on a piece of paper would ever tell them. When you take away the grades, the student has to work hard for a different reason. If there is no extrinsic reward, the chance exists for us to work for our own satisfaction.

Educating for Human Greatness is not an overnight process. It is a garden that may look fallow for a time. We are in a drought, but today we will get a lot of rain. It is a 100% chance, but it is still winter and we cannot think that the rain will turn our campus green this week. I have faith in what we are doing at Inside Outside School. I believe there is a better way to nurture learning than what we are offering children in the USA where high stakes testing pressure is taking the fun out of teaching and learning. I sit in the library of our school before the first students arrive this morning, surrounded by my favorite children’s books, hearing the rooster crow outside as he leads his flock of hens across the lawn, thankful for another day to be here now and do what I love. The Little Engine That Could has been pulled from the shelves in preparation for a new elective class that begins tomorrow. I think I can! I think I can!